December 2014 » Page 2

Month: December 2014

christmas presents - One Small Child

4 ways to De-Stress this Holiday Season

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I hear from a lot of other moms that their husbands have to constantly remind them that they need to “relax”, “do less” and “don’t stress so much”. Do any of us actually do anything to check these items off our never ending to do lists? No. With all of the activities, festivities, driving and cooking to do in the month of December I sometimes wonder if I will make it to January.

De-stressing your holidays might bring thoughts like, “I can’t do that”, “We do that every year” and “so and so will be so disappointed”. But who, besides yourself, said so many things had to be done? Be better to yourself, simplify the to do list. Say “no” to the countless festivities offers. Schedule time with the ones that really matter, and remind yourself that sitting on the couch with a cup of cocoa, a blanket, a movie and watching the snow fall out your window with your honey is a perfect way to spend an evening. Need a few other ideas?

We offer 4 ways to de-stress this Holiday season:

1. Simplify your gift giving with this simple poem: Something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read. Add a couple of things to their stockings and there you have a simple and meaningful list to fill for your loved ones.

2. It’s okay to buy store made treats to give your neighbors. Just add a simple note wishing them happy holidays. Put a cute ribbon on it and deliver. The only thing they will remember is how nice it was to be thought of.

3. Instead of cooking everything at the family dinner, do a pot luck style. Have everyone sign up to bring what they would like, make sure it makes a meal, and enjoy a little more time catching up with those you love at the counter instead of over the stove.

4. Most importantly, if what you have planned to do and give this year takes away from the time you have with your children, let it go. The time we have with our kids is limited and fading away. Let’s all try to remember to not let it waste away.

There will be some busy days over the holidays, lists to make and you will feel like it is never ending. But there is also great joy this time of year. Remember to cultivate an attitude of joy and your busy days will seem to flow better, your lists will not be so daunting and you will sit and enjoy this wonderful season and feel renewed for the coming year.

Merry Christmas - One Small Child

Pretty Christmas Wrapping Ideas

Tired of the same old wrapping ideas? Let your creative side run wild! Try these trendy Christmas wrapping ideas we found on Pinterest. (Are you following us on Pinterest?) Your pretty packages are sure to add to the festivity of the season!

Christmas Wrapping Ideas

{We love these Christmas wrapping ideas from One Good Thing by Jillee. Brown craft paper is inexpensive and comes in huge rolls! You can find it at any local craft supply store. Dress it up with nearly anything! (Which means stuff you already have!) Any extra can be used for wrapping gifts throughout the coming year. Color combos we love: brown and red, brown and green, brown and white, brown with black and gold.}

Christmas Wrapping Ideas

{Who doesn’t love a great monogram? These huge, sparkly tags are adorable! The newspaper is a great base for that red to really pop. Why not re-use your old newsprint this year? Guests will be amazed at your creativity! We found this awesome idea on Premeditated Leftovers. She offers some helpful tips: try not to use crinkled parts and let the kids color on the packages for an added touch. Try using sheet music for a variation of this idea.}

Christmas Wrapping Ideas

{Looking for a personal way to tag your gifts? Use a cute snapshot of the recipient taken this year. (Also from Premeditated Leftovers) What a great way to give them their photos and gifts! Everyone will love reminiscing about fun memories. And no more mixing up gifts! Photo tags really pop on plain paper, but we love it with a print as well! For an easy way to get the framed look-crop with good old fashioned scissors and glue (with an acid-free glue stick) to a plain background paper. Or cut into fun shapes and paste on pretty tags. The options are endless!}

 Helpful wrapping tips: Start with a good box-it’s much easier to cover! Learn how to tie a perfect bow here.

Happy Loving Family Standing In Christmas Store - One Small Child

How to Entertain Guests during the Holidays

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Holiday get-togethers are memory makers. You catch up with family you haven’t seen in some time, eat as if calories don’t count and enjoy the spirit of the season. But some of us have the absolute pleasure of hosting some of that family for multiple days in our homes and the cooking, cleaning and pure joy that comes with it. Today we offer how to entertain guests during the holidays in small ways to make your life a little easier while you host those you love most.

While your grocery bill is going to go up, make sure that part of that is easy finger foods and drinks for all the kids that will be constantly asking for a snack, and adults. If your kids are anything like mine, if one asks for something to eat, they all do. Purchasing a large vegetable tray is a great way to go because you can set it out and everyone can take from it as they want. Even if it is in the fridge, everyone can take it out, take a few pieces and put it back. No preparation necessary. Add to it crackers, the mini cheese squares and flavored sparkling water and juice boxes and your all set.

Make a meal plan for every meal. Ask guests to contribute to the meals with a side or dessert and then they feel like they have helped in some way and you avoid them potentially offering you money to cover the costs of all the food. Also, clean out your fridge before everyone comes and leave room for your guests to put their own food, especially if they have a special diet.

Have activities in mind to go to or do at your home. Bringing out the board games are great, but knowing about special events happening in your area before your guests arrive is nice to choose from to break up the several game nights in a row.

Finally, offer those you love a room with a lock on the door. Having some kind of privacy will really help them feel better about staying over instead of a hotel. Knowing you can fully relax while vacationing is a gift in itself.

Enjoy your time with family and friends. Here’s to many nights of staying up late, too much cocoa and filling your heart with memories.

Baby Holiday Gifts - One Small Child

Baby Christmas Gift Ideas 2014

Baby Christmas Gift Ideas

In search of great baby Christmas gift ideas? Look no further! We’ve got everything you need from beautiful holiday dresses and holiday outfits to personalized gifts.   The Becca is a gorgeous cream silk and lace holiday dress. She’ll look adorable for all your winter events! Dress includes lace jacket and pretty flower headband. Gifted here with our personalized ballerina musical jewelry box, flower paci clip and rose pearl bracelets.

Baby Christmas Gift Ideas

Your little gentleman will steel the show in our Ludlow Holiday Suit! What little boy wouldn’t love a personalized sports car bank under the tree? Shown with our teddy bear paci clip.

Baby Christmas Gift Ideas

Our Lyla is a classic holiday dress in houndstooth print. Gifted here with our personalized ballerina musical jewelry box and flower paci clip.

Violins with GrandmaSpending Time with Family - One Small Child

Spending Time with Grandparents

For the past several years, my sweet Eighty-something grandmother has volunteered every week to play piano for folks in local nursing homes and assisted living facilities. She has an incredibly large repertoire of songs, all of which she plays by request for her darling audiences, entirely from memory. This summer, my daughters were able to join her in her weekly performances (at three different facilities — she gets around!), and I wanted to share a little bit about that experience.

First, it was seriously fun to see how much Grandma enjoyed having some fiddlers in her show. She was so excited to have them there, to introduce them to her friends, and to play along with them. My girls inherited their musical ear from this great woman, and it was a treat to see her eyes light up when my oldest finally got up the courage to play an unrehearsed tune in front of an audience along with the piano. The girls loved hearing her play old standards like The Tennessee Waltz, Blue Hawaii, Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue, & Springtime in the Rockies.

Violins with Grandma | Spending Time with Family

Spending Time with Grandparents

Here are some of the benefits my girls gain by spending time with grandparents:

1-Character – having the opportunity to see their grandmother’s example of service helps build their own character. They can see the good she is doing, and they are learning from her to do the same.

2-Connection – shared time is the basic building block of relationships. Just being together provides opportunities to connect, to get to know each other better, and to just enjoy.

3-History – Grandma has seen and experienced so many things in her life, I want my girls to learn as much as possible, and to love being with her. It was so fun to listen to the historic music she loves with them, to see them smile and tap their toes, and play along.

4-Skills – in our circumstance, this activity provided the chance to improve their own performance skills. Getting more comfortable in front of a group of people and gaining confidence in their musical ability is a win-win! Whether it’s honing skills they’ve developed on their own, or learning something new from a grandparent, there are many opportunities for growth in spending time with grandparents!

What are your favorite ways to provide your children with Grandma time?

Violins with Grandma | Family

Free Christmas Printables - One Small Child

Our Favorite Free Christmas Printables

We’ve scoured Pinterest, and want to share our favorite free Christmas printables today! There’s something for the entire family-some organization helps for mom, fun activities for the kids, and magical Santa printables too! Enjoy!

Free Christmas Printables

{We love mom helps! These lists are sure to keep your holidays organized! Find the Christmas Shopping from Dimplicity. | The Christmas Card List is on Thirty Handmade Days}

Free Christmas Printables

{A couple printable activities for keeping the kids occupied while you wrap gifts! They’ll love this build a snowman from Craftionary. |This fun Christmas Memory Game from Crazy Little Projects.}

Free Christmas Printables

{We love the magic of Santa Keep it alive with these fun printables! Santa’s Stationary is from Over the Big Moon | Kids can write a letter to Santa on festive paper from the Crafting Chicks | These adorable Santa’s Gift Tags are from Brooklyn Limestone.}

Chicken Soup in the Ceramic Bowl - One Small Child

Take Out Bag for Sick Moms

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Sick moms don’t get sick days; the cooking, laundry, playtime and homework still need to be done. But it’s hard taking care of everything when we can’t let go of the tissue box. Plus, I would rather cook the can of sweetened condensed milk and the bag of Ramen that are left in my cabinet than go to the store.

What if the baby needs diapers? What if you run out of medicine? What on earth is for dinner? All of these questions can be answered with today’s post: a Take Out Bag for Sick Moms!

When your friend, sister, or neighbor are down with the cold or flu it’s understandable you want to help them, but that you also don’t want to expose your family. Give a quick text asking if they need anything like diapers/wipes, laundry soap and tissues. Then put together a quick bag to set on their front door step. No exposure for your family and you’ll feel more satisfied knowing you were able to help someone you care about.

Basic items that could be helpful:

-Alkaseltzer cold/flu medicine

-Tissues

-Cough drops

-Laundry soap

-Diapers/wipes

-Anti-bacterial wipes

-Tea

-Can of chicken noodle soup

-Ginger ale

-Coloring book and crayons for the little ones

Any combo of these items in a cute basket and a card will brighten their day and make things a little easier until they are feeling well enough to venture outside the home. This is also a great way to involve your children in some kind of a service project so they can start to build an understanding of giving to others and being helpful, at times, without being asked. Someday when you and your kids are sick, the favor will be returned. Hopefully with chocolate.

christmas picture photo - One Small Child

How to Coordinate Holiday Photos

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Holiday card photos. Everyone has a love/hate relationship with them. You love getting family pictures taken and sending them out to friends and relatives, but putting together cute outfits for everyone that match but don’t look too much alike is a chore in itself. Today we offer a few ideas on how to coordinate holiday photos for the perfect look.

Having a range of colors for your theme spread out on each person pulls it all together. Mixing several prints is good if they have a cohesive look and are not too overpowering. Say, for instance, you wanted to do grey, navy, teal and lime green. If each person had a large amount of lime it would be too much. But if Mom had a lime necklace, Brother had lime shoes, Sister had a lime dress and Dad didn’t have any it would be just fine. As long as Dad has the other colors on that coordinate with everyone else, it will work. Polka dots, strips and even tartan can work together if the colors flow from one person to another.

For Christmas pictures though if you have little ones, having a back drop is always extra fun. Going outside in the snow, drinking cocoa, a Christmas tree, some simple lights, the kids building a snowman and so on can add an element of humor and be more personal than just everyone standing together.

For Ideas on adding pattern, texture and color see this great post for Holiday photos

We hope you have fun putting together memorable photos this season! What are some color combos you have tried?

Engraved Baby Gifts - One Small Child

Keepsake Gifts: Engraved Baby Gifts

Engraved Baby Gifts from www.OneSmallChild.com

Want to give something extra special to the little one in your life? We have some great engraved baby gifts that are the perfect little keepsakes! From pacifier clips to trinket boxes, frames to piggy banks-you’ll find just what you’re looking for! Our Engraved Silver Bell Ornament (shown above) makes the perfect Christmas Gift for baby!

Engraved Baby Gifts from www.OneSmallChild.com

Baby banks are a classic gift! When engraved, they become a cherished keepsake! Shown above: Piggy Bank (left); Noah’s Ark Bank (top right); Train Bank (bottom right). Also available: Front Loader Bank and Sports Car Bank.

Engraved Baby Gifts from www.OneSmallChild.com

Tuck all of baby’s tiny treasures into a personalized box! After all, her first curl and tooth deserve a luxurious lair! Shown above: Silver Nantucket Basket (left); Small Ornate Box (top right); Small Dot Box (bottom right). Also available: Silver Plated Heart Box and My First Boxes.

Engraved Baby Gifts from www.OneSmallChild.com

Your precious baby girl would love any of these engraved baby gifts! Shown above: Ornate Paci Clip (left); Ballerina Musical Jewelry Box (top right); Flower Bangle Bracelet (bottom right). Also available: Gold-Filled Bangle Bracelet, Gold-Filled Oval Locket and Sterling Silver Bangle Bracelet.

There’s more! See all our engraved baby gifts here.